1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to sunroof structures of a wheeled motor vehicle, and more particularly to the sunroof structures of a type which uses a transparent or semitransparent rigid plate as a lid for the sunroof aperture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hitherto, various types of sunroof structures have been proposed and put into practical use, particularly, in the field of wheeled motor vehicles. Some of them are disclosed in, for example, "SERVICE MANUAL" issued from HONDA GIKEN CO., LTD. in November 1985, Japanese Patent First Provisional Publication No. 61-125919 and Japanese Patent Second Provisional Publication No. 58-32046.
However, due to their inherent constructions, the sunroof structures disclosed in such publications fail to have a reduced thickness. As is known, when the thickness is marked, the clearance (viz., head clearance) defined between the sunroof lid and the head of the passenger is reduced causing the passenger to feel cramped in the passenger room.
In fact, in the sunroof structure shown in the SERVICE MANUAL of HONDA GIKEN CO., LTD., there is employed a tilt-up device for tilting up the sunroof lid from the closed position of the same. The tilt-up device generally comprises guided members which are slidably engaged with guide rails extending along respective sides of a rectangular sunroof aperture, and a link mechanism which extends between the guided members and mounts thereon the sunroof lid. However, due to the inherent structure of each guided member, the guided member has a considerable height, and thus, the thickness of the entire of the sunroof structure becomes marked.
In the sunroof structure of Japanese Patent First Provisional Publication No. 61-125919, there is employed a rainwater draining device which is designed to collect rainwater on a rear roof part when, with the sunroof lid kept tilted up, the vehicle is subjected to braking or deceleration. However, compactness of the rainwater draining device used in the sunroof structure is given little thought. This causes the considerable thickness of the sunroof structure.
In the sunroof structure of Japanese Patent Second Provisional Publication No. 58-32046, there is employed a lifting mechanism which functions to move down the sunroof lid before the lid is slided back into its hanger space located behind the sunroof aperture. However, also this lifting mechanism fails to have a reduced height, and thus, the thickness of the sunroof structure is marked.